So, what exactly is the difference between content creation and content curation? And how can each option help propel your brand into the spotlight and enhance your inbound marketing efforts?
What is Content Creation?
Content creation is the process of authoring, writing, producing or publishing your own content for your audience. Examples include: publishing blog posts, writing original Tweets or Facebook statuses, or publishing Whitepapers or Webinars.
What is Content Curation?
Content curation, on the other hand, is the act of sharing or repurposing already-written content (by other authors or publishers) with your audience. Examples include: re-tweeting others’ Tweets, sharing or re-posting links to articles already published, or referencing others’ published posts or articles in your own content.
So, which side of the Creation vs. Curation debate should you be on? The answer here, in order to maximize your inbound marketing strategy, is both; after all, “Content Is King“.
Let’s break down the benefits of each, so that you can see how both can contribute to your overall content marketing efforts.
The Argument for Content Creation
Creating original, valuable content for your audience is one of the main ways that you can generate long-term search traffic to your site or blog. When your audience reads highly valuable content that you have published, they also associate your brand as highly valuable — and this will make sure that they continue to look to your brand for additional high-value information, publishings and opinions, as long as you are able to continue providing it.
In addition, the more relevant content you publish, the greater the likelihood that your audience and readers will share it as well, expanding your reach and authoritative reputation even further. Readers will start to trust and look for your opinion, and will keep coming back to read more of your posts, watch more of your webinars, and comment on or like your social media statuses.
The Argument for Content Curation
There are subject matter experts in every industry, and these experts are seen as “influencers”: they have large social media audiences or blog followers, and are trusted by their readers as a high authority in their space.
Sharing and curating content written by these influencers is not only an opportunity for you to learn from and build relationships with these authoritative figures, but it also aligns you with the experts in your industry, and their opinions. Your audience will recognize that you are open to identifying others’ views on industry trends and news updates, and are willing to share them.
How to Use Both Arguments to Your Benefit
There is a way to combine the perfect mix of content creation and content curation, and it’s usually by splitting them across channels in which you are publishing this content. For example, you could publish a monthly video series of original content relevant to your industry (like our own monthly “What Not To Do” video posts). In addition, you would also share other influencers’ work through your Twitter or Facebook accounts that is also relevant to your industry, adding in a sentence or two as to why you find this content relevant and why you are sharing it.
This combination of content marketing will elevate your own authority in your industry space, and will help you build a loyal audience of people who want this information and will continue to look to you to provide it.
Do you need help in building your content marketing strategy? Get started with a free inbound assessment from one of Umami’s Certified Inbound Specialists to find out where you can make improvements and become an authoritative voice for your brand.
